Everyone Has A Sledding Spot

Schools, Parks, Golf Courses Among Favorite Sites For Winter Sport

January 02, 2004|By MELISSA PIONZIO; Courant Staff Writer

Mike Fresher has been sledding on Connecticut slopes since he was a toddler in snow pants. So when his children, Natalie, 8, and Lindsay, 2, ask their daddy to take them sledding, the 40-year-old Manchester resident knows first-hand all the best spots.

``The place we mostly go [in Manchester] is at the Keeney Street School,'' Fresher said. ``There's different levels, a really steep hill that fades down to a baby hill. It's great for families.''

Another prime location is Wickham Park, with its enormous, continuous hill against a backdrop of Hartford's skyline. After a few turns, both dad and his daughters lose a bit of steam.

``The problem is, you usually have to drag both kids back up because they're not walking!'' Fresher said.

For generations, sledding has been a New England tradition, as moms and dads introduce their kids to slopes enjoyed by generations. Long but gradual descents, easy climbs and slopes free of trees, bushes or busy streets are some of the components for enjoyable, safe sledding.

Cooperation from Mother Nature is also a necessity. The recent run of mild weather has melted the early-season snowfalls. Until the cold and snow return, the brand-new sleds, snowboards and toboggans may never make it out of the garage.

Beth and Mark Vickery of East Hampton usually take their kids, Jacob, 7, Sarah, 4, and Rachel, 2, to neighborhood hills or over to East Hampton High School. However, for top-notch sledding, Beth Vickery said, she returns to her old haunt, the big hill behind Glastonbury's Hopewell School on Chestnut Hill Road.

``It's fast, but it's a big wide open field, and then when you get to the bottom it's flat so you have a ways to go to slow down,'' she said. ``If you are going to get in the car, put effort into going somewhere. It's a great place to go.''

In Southington, parks and recreation department secretary Gerri Roper remembers a hill on Queen Street was popular for many years until a large complex was built at the bottom. Now she suggests Panthorn Park on Burritt Street and the small hill in back of the Oak Hill Cemetery by Flanders Street. Both locations are open to the public until sunset each day.

``It's kind of use at your own risk,'' Roper said of Panthorn Park, which is unsupervised. ``It's got a good slope which is good. All the rest of our parks are pretty level.''

The hill behind Mabelle B. Avery Middle School on Ninth District Road in Somers is well-used, according to Somers recreation coordinator Jennifer Charette. Last year, the parks and recreation department offered ski and snowboarding lessons there.

``It's really long, but it doesn't kill you to walk up it,'' Charette said. ``There's no trees, no cars, and it's way off the road so it's a safe place and it's convenient.''

In Vernon, the local kids congregate at Vernon Center Middle School or Henry Park off South Street.

``That's where kids have been going for many, many years,'' said Bruce Dinnie, director of Vernon parks and recreation. ``There are a lot of people that use them. They build jumps, but depending on how large they get, we knock them down because we've had some injuries.''

In nearby South Windsor, a small hill in Nevers Road Park, below the Rotary Pavilion, is great for beginners, while the bigger, steeper ``Collins Hill,'' located on the west side of Nevers Road, offers challenges for the more serious sledder.

``It's a very popular place for sledders, snowboarders and kids of all ages,'' said Sgt. Matthew Reed, spokesman for the South Windsor Police Department, which is just down the street from the sledding area. ``Like any location, it gets overcrowded and kids are sometimes left there unsupervised. Overall, though, there haven't been any calls related to injuries.''

Supervised sledding is offered by Torrington Parks and Recreation at Major Besse Park on Riverside Avenue Monday to Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and noon to 8 p.m. on weekends if conditions are right. An information line is regularly updated by calling 860-489-2270.

Popular places in Simsbury include the hill behind Latimer Lane School and the long slope at the Simsbury Farms Golf Course.

``On a good day after school or on a weekend you'll find up to 100 kids and their parents up there,'' said Simsbury recreation supervisor Tom Tyburski of the golf course hill.

Ray and Shelly DeMeo of West Hartford often sled with their sons Ben, 11, and Jack, 8. Their favorite spot is Buena Vista Hill just up the hill from the Cornerstone Aquatic Center in West Hartford. They also go to Wolcott Park, on New Britain Avenue.

``It's shaped like a bowl and all the parents kind of ring around it and watch,'' said Shelly DeMeo. ``They come down from different directions so it gets a little hairy there, but it is steep and the kids like it.''

Nathan Flores, who attends after-school programs at the Pope Park Recreation Center in Hartford, said he likes sliding down the big hill at Pope Park because it's fun and ends in the grass, not the road.